Hydra Blossom
Hydra Blossom (ハイドラ花, Haidora hana) is a type of flowering Plant that grows in the Southern part of the Wul Continent. These plants are part of the Trial of Pilgrimage as the Second Task. Appearance The Hydra Blossom has the appearance of a giant flower, with countless vines as its roots growing from its body. The Petals around the main flower tend to be purple with white closer to the "face", which is yellow with purple "eyes" that have black marks through them that look like scars. There are also several leaves behind the flower that seem to serve more of a decorative purpose. Some, to several, of the vines have smaller flowers on them that have a black center with red petals and none of the same decorative features of the main flower other than mouths. For a plant it has an unusually long life span, and although the petals around its body fall out whenever the seasons change, it has the special ability to grow back new petals. It hates arid regions, and always grows in areas near water. Its diet consists of whatever it can catch with its thorny vines, but mostly feeds on insects and the occasional small beasts that wander too close. Defenses Because the Hydra Blossom is the primary food source of Aero Serpents, the plants have had to develop defenses in order to survive. The main defense the Hydra Blossom has is that whenever a vine is cut, two more vines grow from where the cut was and each new vine has a blossom on it that the Hydra Blossom uses to feed with. This helps the plant to survive by giving it more "heads" from which to feed. The liquids that are taken into the plant also become highly toxic and deadly, having the ability to corrode away anything that it touches. This then kills off anything that tries to eat the Hydra Blossom, however it doesn't seem to affect Aero Serpents. Also, because it is the main food source of the Aero Serpent, if there is one nearby when someone or something else tries to use it as food, the Aero Serpent will attack in order to protect its source of nutrition. As Food Because of the highly toxic liquids produced by the Hydra Blossom, the only part of the plant that is safe for human consumption are the petals around the main flower. They reach the peak of their flavor just before the change of the season and the petals are shed. There is no real special way to gather the petals, however, the plant will try to defend itself with its vines and varying number of other blossoms. Because more blossoms sprout if one is cut off, this makes it difficult to get close enough to the main flower to collect the petals. If the entire plant is killed, then the petals will lose all flavor and become mildly toxic. When the petals have been successfully picked, they are usually used to make a tea that has a very silky feel and a deep, rich, earthy aroma and flavor. However, the petals can also be used for salads or as a flavoring in other dishes. Flavors The flavor of the petals, when used in anything other than tea, varies depending on the number of blossoms that have sprouted. When there are two-to-four extra blooms, believed to be the absolute minimum, the flavor of the petals is mild and sweet, compared to Bibb lettuce. Five-to-seven extra blooms gives the petals a flavor like Arugula, a peppery and slightly bitter flavor. Eight-to-ten extra blooms cause the petals to just taste bitter, like Raddichio, but are the best for grilling. The petals start tasting like Watercress, being just peppery, at eleven-to-thirteen extra blooms. Every extra bloom after that sends the flavor alternating back through the previous flavors. Depending on the desired flavor, the number of extra blooms varies and can easily add to the difficulty of getting the desired flavors. If one is not picky about the flavor, then they need to simply succeed in procuring the petals. Trivia *Appearance is that of Blossomon from Digimon *Name, Defenses and Alias inspired by Herculean Legend, specifically the Lernean Hydra Category:Plant Category:Ingredient Category:Original Ingredient Category:Ingredients Category:Vegetable Category:Vegetables Category:Trial of Pilgrimage Category:Capture Lvl 1-100 Category:Lee's Garden Category:Human World